Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern Announces 2015 Volleyball Schedule
6/15/2015 5:27:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Wildcats to play 12 matches against 2014 NCAA Tournament teams this fall
EVANSTON, Ill -- Northwestern head volleyball coach Keylor Chan unveiled the 2015 schedule that his Wildcats will face on Monday (June 15). The slate features 12 matches against NCAA Tournament squads from a year ago, as well as 12 contests at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
"We're really excited about this year's schedule," said Chan. "We've lined up 11 challenging nonconference matches to go along with the rigorous 20-match Big Ten slate. The nonconference portion will give our team the opportunity to compete at a high level and grow in preparation for Big Ten play.
"This schedule will test our team and demand that we work hard, sacrifice and come together in order for us to reach our goals this fall," said Chan.
The season begins with a quick trip north to Rogers Park for the Rambler Challenge at Loyola's Gentile Arena. Northwestern opens the season on August 28 with matches against Wake Forest and New Hampshire, a 2014 NCAA Tournament team. The Wildcats close the first weekend against the Rambles at 4 p.m. on August 29.
Following a tournament at Boise State, Sept. 4-5, the Wildcats will head to Bowling Green, Ky., Sept. 11-12, for the Holiday Inn University Plaza Invitational, hosted by Western Kentucky. The 'Cats open against Furman on Sept. 11 before playing 2014 NCAA Tournament qualifier Western Kentucky in the nightcap. The tournament wraps up with a tilt against Missouri State on Sept. 12 at 12:30 p.m.
Non-conference play concludes with the Wildcat Challenge at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Chicago's Big Ten Team will host Lipscomb, a 2014 NCAA Tournament team, on Sept. 18 at 7 p.m. before welcoming Milwaukee on Sept. 20 at 1 p.m. Lipscomb and Milwaukee will face off in a neutral-site match on Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.
Big Ten play opens with a four-match road trip between Sept. 25 - Oct. 4. NU will make its first-ever trip to Piscataway, N.J. to play Rutgers on Sept. 25 before continuing on to Maryland (Sept. 26), Minnesota (Sept. 30) and Wisconsin (Oct. 4).
Northwestern opens a four-match homestand, the longest of the season, on Oct. 9 against Ohio State. The following night, the 'Cats welcome the defending national champions, Penn State, to Evanston. The following weekend, both Nebraska (Oct. 16) and Iowa (Oct. 18) come calling.
After squaring off on the road against Purdue (Oct. 23) and Indiana (Oct. 24), Northwestern returns home to play five of its next six matches at Welsh-Ryan Arena. NU will spend Halloween weekend battling Michigan (Oct. 30) and Michigan State (Oct. 31) before welcoming Illinois on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats make the return trip to Champaign for a rematch just a few days later on Nov. 7.
The final six-match stretch of the 2015 campaign begins with home matches against Minnesota (Nov. 11) and Purdue (Nov. 15). The final regular-season road trip takes Northwestern to Michigan State (Nov. 18), Iowa (Nov. 21) and Penn State (Nov. 26).
The 'Cats will host Maryland on Saturday, Nov. 28 in a Senior Night showdown at Welsh-Ryan Arena.
The 2015 NCAA Volleyball Tournament begins with first and second round matches, Dec. 3-5. Regionals will be hosted in Austin, Texas, Des Moines, Iowa, Lexington, Ky., and San Diego, Calif., the following weekend. The national semifinals and national championship will be held Dec. 17 and Dec. 19, respectively, at the Centurylink Center in Omaha, Neb.
A link to the complete schedule is available here or at the top of the page. Information about tickets, television and promotions will be announced at a later date.
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